John “Jack” Martin Hriniak, (69), of Fitchburg died peacefully after a prolonged illness at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, MA. He is survived by his wife, Mary Brooks of Fitchburg; her son, Justin Brooks of Leominster; and his brother, Richard Hriniak of Greensboro, N.C. He was recently predeceased by his son, David Hriniak of Fitchburg.

He served in Vietnam with the 3^rd Battalion, 4^th Marine, India Company at Con Thien (Hill of Angels) near the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone during some of the fiercest fighting of the war.  His service in Vietnam made an imprint on Jack’s life, long after the war officially ended. Combat and its exposure to herbicidal chemicals compromised his health and eventually his independency. However, he did not allow the war to define him. Instead he dedicated his life to defend and support those in the community with little voice. 

His ability to serve those most vulnerable ended as his health declined, but his will to live continued. He used his quick wit and big heart to console and bring sunshine to those around him. For over three years, the Bedford VA was his home, and the staff became his family. He challenged them with his fierce sense of independence, but rewarded them with his smile and love. He used his passion for writing poetry as a means of grappling with the past and dealing with the present. About his struggle with PTSD, he once wrote “To let go of the past would be like hearing children sing.”

https://www.richardsonfuneralhome.net/notices/John-HriniakJr